It’s not been the best start to the year, in fact this posting is already around two weeks late, but I’m back up and running and in the midst of kicking off my GDRs (Goals, Dreams & Resolutions) for the new year. I’m not taking things easy and I’m not going hell-for-leather, but I’ve laid out a plan for 2018 that if executed in the correct order, could prove to be fruitful — more-so than 2017.

I remember saying the same last thing last year: “I’ll never get through all of this,” and “there’s no way I’ll find the time to do all of this as well as live a life.” But then I bit off the easy bits first, chewed them up and devoured them, which took care of a large chuck of my plan all before the first quarter of the year was over. Suddenly, by mid-March, everything looked easier and much more do-able. So that’s my plan again this year.

Here’s what I‘ve come up with. Not that two of the Dreams and two of the Resolutions have been redacted — they’re not for public consumption. In fact, this may be the last year I actually publish this on the blog. While I love — daresay need — to tick off lists in order to get things done, the way I approach my work these days is much more relaxed and depended on how I feel at the time. So applying too rigorous a framework around it is not having the desired effect as it once did. Nevertheless, here’s the 2018 GDR list:

GOALS

“Tangible actions with deadlines that get me further down the path.”

Complete and Publish Sri Lanka Chapbook

Write and Prepare Bob Lennox Prequel Novella

Write 1st draft of Bridge of Weir Novel

Complete and Publish On the Rocks: Bob Lennox #1

Write NaNoWriMo Novel (1st Draft of Bob Lennox #2)

Complete and Publish Rhodes Chapbook

Complete and Publish London Chapbook

A Ditty A Day Project

Read 30 Novels

DREAMS

“Fantasies about the future I plan to build, with an action plan to turn them into reality.”

XXXX

XXXX

Be Regularly Selling ‘00s Books Per Month

RESOLUTIONS

“Bigger, more life-changing commitments that build on the goals and work toward the dreams.”

XXXX

XXXX

Learn Basic French (carried over)

All in all, this gives me a total of 15 specific GDRs that I am aiming to hit to some degree. You can begin to see where the demands on my time are going to impact.

Of the Goals listed, there is a lot of interesting work listed here that I am hoping to see through. Namely, three new chapbooks, which are all already in different stages of production already and may see the light of day very soon.

There is also the intended publication of the first full-length Bob Lennox novel, a prequel giveaway, and a second novel in the series.

And the more keen-eyed among you will have spotted the “A Ditty A Day” project, more details for which will come soon.